Empire of the Ants was originally a strategy game released in 2000 for PC. The game itself was based on a French novel called Les Fourmis, written by Bernard Weber. 24 years later, Microid has published a new game under the same title, but the gameplay has changed considerably. Is the new experience worth it?

You start the story campaign as 103,683rd, a red ant belonging to the warrior caste. Your ant can be considered a tactician rather than a fighter, as it will not fight other enemies directly, but will instead give orders to various legions of ants. You belong to a federation of anthills that is prosperous, but is about to face various crises threatening its balance. In order to protect your federation, you will have to complete various missions which can be divided into three categories: Strategy, Tactics, and Exploration. Strategy missions are the most common missions and make up the core of the game. They usually require you to develop an anthill and capture other nests, which will be used to collect resources, upgrade your troops, or develop your powers as a general, which will be needed to win. As you face new challenges, you will have to make good use of the strengths of your ants. The strengths and weaknesses of ants rely on a sort of weapons triangle, where warriors dominate workers but are weaker against artillery ants, which in turn are weak against workers. Two other types of units will help your troops, super predators and support units. Predators are other bugs which have been “tamed” by ants, like Dung Beetles or Hornets, which are  strong against all enemy ants.

You can only control one legion of super predators, but they make a real difference on the battlefield, and you will quickly want to have them. Support units, like snails or aphids, normally help your troops by providing a passive buff. You can control your units with a mouse or a controller, but even with a controller, the controls feel extremely intuitive. I played the game with a DualShock 4and I quickly got used to the controls, which is unusual for a real-time strategy (RTS), as the majority of RTS’ are better played with keyboard controls.

Like every RTS, the gameplay introduces resources to collect in order to develop your colony. Food and wood are generally collected by building farms in your anthills, or by sending your worker ants to collect items found in your environment, such as apples or pineapples. Sometimes, you may have to defeat some bugs, like firebugs, mantis or ladybugs. You generally win by destroying the enemy’s headquarters. Using special powers might help you achieve your goals, as you can acquire abilities that can, for example, temporarily increase the speed of your ants, give them a life shield, or increase their aggressiveness with pheromones. There are a lot of powers to acquire and they will be crucial during your battles. You will also have to pay attention to the weather, as the light, humidity and general weather impact all the troops on the battlefield, improving or reducing their efficiency as well as your powers.

Tactics missions use the same mechanics as Strategy missions, but they introduce specific conditions to win, such as having to resist waves of enemies, collecting resources in a limited amount of time, or escorting a unit. Finally, Exploration missions request you to collect information on your enemy or scan your environment. For example, you might find items used by humans, like balloons or tin cans, and have to scan them. You could also have to hunt butterflies or fireflies. While your ants are very smart, they cannot swim at all, which means you will quickly drown if you don’t pay attention. Fortunately, your ant can run and jump, which will help you overcome any obstacle.

If you struggle with a mission, you are generally free to not complete it. The majority of missions are not mandatory, and you only have to achieve a certain number of missions to progress through each chapter of the history. If you struggle with Strategy, you could decide to focus on Exploration missions, for example. The gameplay, however, is not as elitist as it can be in some RTS’ like Starcraft 2 or Warcraft 3 and you should be able to complete all missions if you persevere. I am generally not good at playing RTS’, but I was able to complete the campaign after playing for 40 hours. There is a multiplayer component, but I was unable to experience it.

Technically, the game runs fine and is well optimized. I played it with a PC using a 4070 Super NVIDIA Gpu, 32GB Ram and an AMD Ryzen 5 7600 CPU. The game should be seen as an RTS which does not try to compete with references of the genre, but more as a strategy game which highlights the beauty of nature and the incredible intelligence of ants. Since the game is based on a book, it’s important to mention that the ants you will meet are depicted as more clever than in reality, which explains why they are able to tame various species of bugs or talk about diplomacy. The soundtracks are very relaxing, and you will never find them repetitive. The gameplay might look simple at first glance, but as you play you get to learn more about the depth of its mechanics.

I had a great experience with Empire of the Ants and it might be the best RTS released this year, so far, as well as one the most beautiful and fun games of the year. The game costs $39.99 or $49.99 if you want to buy the Deluxe edition. You can confidently get the standard edition now as the game has solid content to experience.

Review Score
Overall

Game was provided by the publisher for review.

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Shuichi Kobayashi talked about the future of the series during a Star Ocean program live stream. Well aware of the demand for a new game, he said – “I understand, I know what else everyone would like to hear, but speaking frankly, it’s not that simple to make”. He also added, “If it could be made without tri-Ace, then surely it would possible. But that’s not the case, is it? I’m saying please wait a little longer. Won’t you please wait a little longer?”. The focus right now is on Star Ocean Anamnesis, a smartphone game, and it seems fans will have to wait a few months or years before a new entry in the series happens. Star Ocean 5 received mixed or average reviews after its release in 2016, and many fans back then expressed their disappointment.

SOURCE

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Metro Exodus will not be released in Fall 2018 but is instead delayed to Q1 2019. THQ Nordic confirmed the information during its financial results briefing. Metro Exodus is the third episode of the Metro series, based on Dmitry Glukhovsky novels. It will be released for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. THQ Nordic also revealed that Deep Silver will publish Bards Tale IV and Wasteland 3, which are developed by Inxile Entertainment.

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Beyblade fans will be pleased to know that publisher Furyu has announced the release of Beyblade Burst: Battle Zero for the Switch in Japan, on October 25. The game will be sold for 6980 yen via retail and 6280 yen via download. Physical copies will include a game-exclusive Beyblade. The Beyblade manga was created in 1999 and serialized in Corocoro Comic until 2004. Beyblade Burst manga started in 2015 and is still running. A teaser website is available here

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During a event at BitSummit Vol. 6, which is a festival that celebrates indie games every year in Tokyo, Platinum Games revealed that several games are being developed by the studio. Those projects include “something that changes the concept of an action game.” Atsushi Inaba, who works for the studio expressed interest for the Switch saying “Personally, I would like to release games on Switch and so on in the future.” Platinum Games is currently developing Bayonetta 3, which will be released exclusively for the Switch.

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Imagine an Ace Attorney game that would take place in the 19th century, where the characters are all animals instead of humans. This is exactly how Aviary Attorney is designed. Borrowing the art of French caricaturist J.J Grandville, the story of Aviary Attorney takes place in the 19th century in Paris, during the July Monarchy, a constitutional monarchy that was created after the previous king, Charles X, was forced to abdicate in order to end public riots. The new king, Louis-Philippe I, now rules France. Falcon and Sparrowson are two lawyers defending various cases in Paris. But does the game win the suit?

The most striking element of the game is certainly its unusual use of pictures and art from the 19th century. You play the game while having the feeling you are reading an old book that belonged to your grandparents. It is quite refreshing and unusual enough, and all the screens in the game always look beautiful and well drawn. Our protagonists are two birds whose first case will consist of defending a noble cat lady accused of murder. The gameplay follows the pattern used in Ace Attorney games and comprises two distinct sequences. You first explore the places related to the murder, gathering evidence. Each time you visit a place related to the case, you spend one day, which means you have to make sure that each trip will be useful if you don’t want to lack evidence when the trial happens. You will sometimes have the possibility to spend your money to bribe witnesses in order to get additional information, or to buy specific items related to the case. Money is very useful in the game and spending it too quickly might cost you some opportunities later. A small blackjack game is available at some point in the game, and you can try to win more money if you feel lucky.

Then during the trial, you cross-examine witnesses and find discrepancies in their testimonies. The personality of characters is generally represented by the animal they embody, as cats are generally wealthy people, servants or poor people are often rodents, wolves are suspicious and intimidating characters, and birds work in different areas depending on their species. The story is rather entertaining and rhymed with classic music that fits the atmosphere of the game. The game can also be described as a criticism of the social inequalities that were rather common during the 19th century, where several revolutions happened. Society was trying to find new values but was still unable to completely give up on old social values, which caused a lack of stability that would last until 1870. Falcon, the main protagonist, is a lawyer whose personal story and background reflects those inner conflicts and you will later discover why.

The game only offers four acts which are a bit shorter than what you find in games like Ace Attorney (the game can be completed in 3 hours), but the quality of the art, music and writing compensates it. The fourth act also features several endings which depend on choices previously made. If you are looking for an entertaining adventure with unusual and beautiful art, Aviary Attorney is a good adventure game sold for $14.99 on Steam.

Review Score
Overall

Review copy purchased by the reviewer.

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In a sci-fi-universe, a mysterious virus contaminates robots on a desert planet, forcing Swade, a Swarmwielder (a guardian whose job is to control robots to maintain security) to fight them. You are going to fight cards, but unlike most card games, you will not have to build a deck. Instead, you will have to manage several types of cards which have different effects. You have three kinds of cards to fight: cards that block attacks, cards that attack the enemy, and cards which produce resources, like behemium, gold, energy or replicase.

The key is to carefully spend your resources and choose which units to attack. Sometimes, it is necessary to sacrifice cards that produce resources or attack and use them as a defense. In fact, fights work a lot like puzzles, where you have to figure out the best way to defeat the enemy. For example, in one of the missions, you have to protect the Overheat Ray, a powerful card that can deal 30 damage but requires several turns to be activated. Choosing which cards will block the attack is essential. If a card has a defense of three and the attacking card has a power of two, it will absorb the attack. Drones can produce gold, but require energy, which only engineers can produce. Those are only a few examples of the possibilities given by the game, but the combination of all those cards creates a lot of strategies for the players. The game also offers a few challenges where the player has to win the game while satisfying specific conditions, like a limited number of turns.

The story so far seems to be quite classic but is entertaining enough to keep you playing, and the music, which serves more as a background element, is quite relaxing. The possibility to play online against other players or AI also makes the game more interesting, as units obtained during the campaign can be used online. Note that some rewards can be obtained, but fortunately they are purely cosmetic and do not impact gameplay. It took me two hours to beat the first episode, and I will have to wait to play the rest of the story mode as episode two will only be unlocked in April. The rest of the content will be available at an unknown date. If you like card games but do not like building a deck, Prismata is the right game for you and relies purely on strategy and logic.

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Square Enix has released information about the lineup and events that will be available during PAX East 2018. Fans who visit the SQUARE ENIX booth, #11017, will be able to obtain special prizes and play current and upcoming games. Final Fantasy XIV Online, Final Fantasy 15 Windows Edition, Final Fantasy XIV Pocket Edition and Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia will be among titles playable at PAX.

The first-ever North American FINAL FANTASY Trading Card Game (“FFTCG”) Crystal Cup tournament will also take place at the Westin Boston Waterfront’s Commonwealth Ballroom on April 6-7. Fans who wish to pre-register to attend the tournament can visit this link. Other games available during PAX include Life is Strange: Before The Storm, Chocobo’s Crystal Hunt, Nier Automata, and Monster Energy Super Cross.

Source: Press Email

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Square Enix has just announced the establishment of a new studio called Luminous Productions, which will be set in Tokyo and be lead by Hajime Tabata, who directed Final Fantasy XV. The purpose of this studio is to create AAA titles and”utilize innovative technology and creativity to change the future of gaming and entertainment.” The official website of the studio is open and can be visited.

Additional information will be released later during the year.

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Focus Home Interactive announced that Masters of Anima would launch on April 10 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC. The game is developed by Passtech Games, and mixes adventure and strategy. The protagonist, Otto, can control up to 100 guardians in order to defeat Zahr. He has captured his fiancée in order to marry her, and finally become a master of Anima. Each guardian has different abilities and new powers and abilities will be unlocked as you progress through the game.

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Title	Overgrowth
Developer	Wolfire Games
Publisher	Wolfire Games
Release Date	October 16,2017
Genre	Action Adventure
Platform	PC
Age Rating	N/A
Official website

Associating animals with Kung-Fu has often been a successful move in animation. Many games have also tried this, and Overgrowth follows this path. But does it master it?

Before talking about the game, it is important to talk about Lugaru, the prequel of this game, which was published in 2005. It told us the story of a retired rabbit warrior, Turner, whose friends and family are slaughtered by raiders who attacked his village. Overgrowth takes place after our hero has achieved his quest for revenge and is looking for a peaceful place to live. Unfortunately, the world of Overgrowth is chaotic and cats actively kidnap rabbits to make them their slaves. The adventures of Overgrowth will force our hero, Turner, to face cats and a lot of their servants, who are other cats, dogs, or rats. The reason why these self-obsessed cats rule the world of Overgrowth is that they seem to be talented at deception and manipulation, and even predators like wolves are often their slaves.

The gameplay of Overgrowth relies mainly on jumps, as rabbits can perform really high jumps, and combat. The fights in the game feel rather frustrating because they do not provide any feeling of power. This happens mostly because of how the ragdoll physics are handled, and because hitting an enemy does not generate any meaningful reaction. In video games where fights are good, the player’s attacks produce a noise or a graphic effect, feedback that makes victories over an opponent satisfying. This alchemy is absent from the game, and the fact that all the environments are rather empty and graphically bland does not help the player to enjoy the game. It is stated that the development of the game took nine years, and maybe this is why the graphics and gameplay feel outdated and lacking. In Overgrowth fights consist mostly of attacking with a single button and blocking/countering, a mechanic which is fine in many games but whose execution does not feel convincing here. The combos are not really spectacular and do not make Turner look like a convincing martial artist. Being able to use swords and other close combat weapons helps to defeat enemies, and you can also sneak behind enemies to choke them to death, which can help to make some fights easier.

Since the progression of the main story is very linear, with little room to freely explore environments, you would expect some effort to be made on the history, but the dialogue is rather poor and not elaborate. All those flaws in the area of gameplay, story, and environments, provide the feeling that the game is basically a huge sandbox with little to do in terms of interaction. The music is decent and reflects what you would expect from a game involving martial arts, but it doesn’t help to make the game more appealing. The player has the opportunity to play an HD remake of Lugaru, the first game, but even combining the two campaigns, you can beat the story in a single afternoon. This would be fine if the game did not feel as empty. I am aware that some players praised the physics and fights in the game, and I feel the opinions on this matter are mixed, but I definitely think fights could be much better and more polished. It is important to mention that while the game supports controllers, they do not seem to work properly in the menu interface, and to change controller settings, you have to edit a file, which is not intuitive. Three difficulty modes are available, from Casual to Expert. I chose the Casual mode because I was not enjoying the battles. I also tried a mod that was included in the game by default, called Therium 2. This mod has a specific story that expands the lore and features alternate endings, but I found the story to be rather confusing and annoying.

Sold for $27.99 on Steam, Overgrowth does not provide enough content nor a compelling experience to justify buying it at this price. To succeed, Overgrowth would have needed better graphics, much better feedback with fights, and a better realization overall.

Review Score
Overall

Review copy purchased by the author.

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Nintendo has just uploaded a new trailer unveiling three new Dream Friends that will be added to Kirby Star Allies on Switch through a free update that will happen on March 28th. Rick, Kine, and Coo will come and reinforce the army of Dream Friends. Marx and Gooey, two other well known Kirby characters, will also be available after this update, but are not shown in this trailer. In Kirby Star Allies, Kirby can enlist the help of Dream Friends that can be controlled by another player or the AI. The list of Dream Friends available is expected to grow and other characters will probably be added in future.

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Marvelous has just released a debut trailer for Assault Gunners HD Edition, a high-definition remaster of the PS Vita robot action game Assault Gunners. There are some gameplay videos available as well, one showing how customization of robots work and the other showing the Inferno Mode. This is where you fight waves of enemies in multiplayer. The game will be available on March 20 on PS4 and PC. The stand alone game will run you $9.99 or you can get the game and all the the DLC for $11.99.  No physical release has been planned.

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It has recently been announced that GameMaker Studios 2, a toolset to develop games, would be supported by the Nintendo Switch. Thanks to this, Shoot ’em up Super Hydorah and action platformer Cursed Castilla are coming to Switch. These games are developed by Abylight and Locomalito. Super Hydorah is a challenging shmup were you fight the alien threat of the Meroptians. Cursed Castilla is a Ghost and Goblins inspired platformer taking place in medieval Spain. No release date has been set for now.

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Capcom has just announced that Action RPG Monster Hunter World has shipped 7.5 million units worldwide. This confirms the success of the series in the West and means that Monster Hunter World is the highest selling episode of the series. Recent titles in the series were primarily aimed at handheld consoles. This is the first home console episode since Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate. Monster Hunter World is out now console, and should land on PC later this year at an unknown date.

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A major update will be released Early March on PS4 for Secret of Mana’s remake. It fixes numerous issues including a black-out screen, revived members with 0 HP, or conversations that the player is not able to finish. The update will also be made available for PC and PS Vita “soon” according to Square-Enix.

This remake of Secret of Mana has been getting mixed feedbacks, and given the amount of bugs and issues, it is easy to see why. The patch notes from Square-Enix Japan’s post courtesy of Gematsu.

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Publisher Kadokawa Games has announced that Visual Novel Root Letter sold 400 000 unit over the world. Those sales include physical copies and digital downloads. The game was released for PlayStation 4, PS Vita, PC, DMM Game Player, and Yahoo! Game Plus, iOS and Android. The story is about a letter delivered 15 years late, which explains how an old pen-friend was involved in a murder before disappearing. The game encourages the player to investigate about the murder by searching for clues, looking for evidence and exploring environments, and includes five different endings

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Valkyria Chronicles 4 just got a new trailer for Federation Army featuring Angelica Farnaby, Minerva Victor, Karen Stewart, Miles Abegg, Ronald Albee, Dan Bentley, and the Edinburgh Navy. The game will be released for PlayStation 4 on March 21, and during summer for Switch in Japan. It will hit North America on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Switch sometime in 2018. The game has not been announced for PC so far, despite Sega’s growing interest in the platform.

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